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Chapter 5 - Prescribing in Pregnancy

from Part 2 - Prescribing for Patient Groups

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2020

By
Alia Husain
Edited by
Hugh Montgomery ,
Robert Shulman  and
Mayur Murali
Hugh Montgomery
Affiliation:
Centre for Human Health and Performance, University College London
Robert Shulman
Affiliation:
University College Hospitals London
Mayur Murali
Affiliation:
Whittington Hospital, London
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Summary

The thalidomide disaster of 1958 and later isotretinoin from 1995 showed that drugs do reach the foetus and can cause harm. Even now, of the babies born with a recognised birth defect, drugs are implicated in 1–2%. As a result, there is a perception that any drug at any time in pregnancy could cause harm; however, this is not the case! It’s important to consider the benefit to the mother, the risk to the foetus and the form of administration. This chapter discusses some of the most common drug classes and whether and when they can be safely used in pregnancy.

Keywords

PregnancyBirth defectTeratogenSafetyRoute of administrationSafe
Type
Chapter
Information
Surviving Prescribing
A Practical Guide
 , pp. 25 - 30
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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